41-year-old with a car trapped between two trains

Between Schottikon and Elgg, east of Winterthur, there was a spectacular accident between a car and two trains on the SBB route late on Monday evening around 10:30 p.m. A 41-year-old car driver was seriously injured.

For reasons that have not yet been clarified, the motorist ended up on the SBB railroad tracks, as Ralph Hirt, spokesman for the Zurich cantonal police, said on request.  The  woman and her vehicle got caught between two SBB trains that were traveling in the opposite direction.  The  car was completely destroyed.

 The  woman had to be driven from the ambulance to the hospital with serious injuries. Around 80 train passengers who were uninjured were evacuated.  The y were carried on by buses, as the SBB announced early Tuesday morning.  The  two train drivers were also uninjured.

Police clarify how the accident happened

According to “20 minutes”, at least 15 vehicles were in use.  The  police have cordoned off the area extensively. According to blick.ch, there is no level crossing at the accident site.  The  police clarified the course of the accident, as Ralph Hirt of Keystone-SDA said.  The re was only around 80 centimeters of space between the two trains.

For its part, the SBB announced that long-distance trains between Zurich and Wil are canceled. Because the space in the replacement buses is limited, the SBB advise against traveling between Winterthur and Wil during rush hour.

 The  duration of the disturbance is indefinite.  The  SBB provides information about diversions on the Internet at sbb.ch/railinfo. Freight traffic is also diverted. SBB regrets the inconvenience and apologizes to affected travelers.

Car jumped off the tracks

An Interregio from St. Gallen and an Intercity from Zurich were affected by the collision. Upon impact, the first car or the axle jumped out of the tracks.  The  collision caused considerable damage to the trains and the road.

That night, the SBB started to put the trains back on track and repair the track. Due to the necessary work, the route remains closed. How long the interruption will last cannot be said yet, said an SBB spokeswoman.

According to ralph Hirt, forensics is at work.  The  police were in the night to clear the scene of the accident.  The  east-west axis between Zurich and St. Gallen is one of the most heavily traveled connections in Swiss rail traffic.